Split
by KitTea
Summary: Two kits were born. They grew up and became warriors together. They were inseparable. Until Fate decided to tear them apart. *Second in the Gemini Series*
1. The Burning

"The Ends are becoming unstable." Jayfeather growled. Mistystar nodded.

"I know. We need to stop these wretched Gemini before they destroy everything."

Jayfeather shook his head. "That's not the real problem! The Gemini in general are a nuisance. But the main thing is these two. Even Hollyleaf agreed. And you know how she is."

Mistystar sighed and began to pad away. Then she stopped. "Then why are those two still alive?"

"Because the Embers are becoming soft." Jayfeather sighed. "If anything is to survive, we need to toughen up the Embers or get something else."

Mistystar's eyes flashed in confusion. "Something else?"

"We might need to awaken the Burning." Jayfeather's voice was solemn.

"Them?" Mistystar hissed. "Hollyleaf would surely disagree. I know Bluestar and Yellowfang are no longer here, but don't you think that the Burning are a little too risky?"

Jayfeather trembled slightly. "I understand your fears," His voice shook. "but if we are to-"

"Yes, I know." Mistystar replied quickly.

A third cat came racing towards the two StarClan cats.

"Greetings, Ravenpaw." Jayfeather dipped his head.

"There is no time for that!" The black cat hissed.

"What's wrong?" Mistystar demanded.

"It's Flame! They've broken loose!" Ravenpaw looked panicked.

Mistystar and Jayfeather exchanged glances. "So we will need to awaken Them." She murmured. "The Embers won't be enough, will they?"

Ravenpaw took a step back. "Wait, are you telling me-"

Jayfeather nodded solemnly. "Yes."

Mistystar's eyes were full of fear, as were Ravenpaw's. "How soon? When should we wake Them? A moon?"

"If the Embers haven't gotten rid of the Gemini in a moon, we'll need to-" Jayfeather didn't finish. All three of them knew what would happen.

Ravenpaw sighed. "Yellowfang said one day we'd need to, unless we could figure out a way to stop them." His eyes flashed with alarm when he heard yowls. "The others!"

Jayfeather cursed. "The Ends are falling apart already."

A trio of cats came racing toward the other three. Leading them was Ashfur. "The Gemini have tampered with Fate again! Remember last time? We must fetch the Burning now!" He called.

Ravenpaw hissed. "Not Fate! Not again!" He then noticed the other two cats with Ashfur. "Oh! Emberkit, Wind Runner." He dipped his head.

Wind Runner acknowledged Ravenpaw. She turned to Mistystar. "It's Clear Sky and Gray Wing. Those two wretched Gemini started it all. They managed to open Flame."

Jayfeather cursed again. "I'll make sure Lionblaze is ready." His voice sounded panicked. "Chaos. This chaos is happening all over again."

Wind Runner curled her lip. "Whoever was fooling around with Fate...they'll be sorry." She unsheathed her claws and bared her teeth. "Ashfur, Mistystar. Spread the word. Tell them the Burning are coming back." Her eyes seemed to glow, as though on fire. Her claws seemed to be changing into flames, too. "We are awake." She growled.

Jayfeather took a few steps back, his eyes wild with fear and anger. "Oh, Fate, you have brought this upon yourself." He whispered. More yowls were heard. Then there was thunder. Loud, loud thunder. Jayfeather flattened his ears against his ear, spun around, and the. sprinted away.


	2. Huh?

**Hello everyone! Greetings from Sweden! Yes, Sweden! Due to changes in my schedule, there will probably be no updates until my vacation is over. I may or may not do some writing, I am posting on FFN, but please don't expect anything until at least next week Sunday. **

**So sorry! To make up for this, I will post a ridiculously short chapter (I have that ridiculous writer's block again, too). :P Sorry, the cliffhanger's awful.**

Lionear glanced over his shoulder. As he did so, he skidded to a halt. He had no idea where he was, and he couldn't see Icegaze anymore. Where had she gone? She had been right next to him! He couldn't scent anything. She couldn't have gone anywhere; they were basically pressed against each other.

Then he noticed the strange scent hanging in the air. It smelled of monsters and metal.

It smelled of-

_Oh no..._

* * *

"Lionear, you must decide." He jumped as a white tom with milky white eyes appeared directly in front of him.

Lionear stared at the strange cat. "Wait, who are you?" He asked, utterly confused.

The cat stared back. "You need to decide. Fate is waiting."

"You need to explain-" Lionear began to protest.

"Decide!" The cat yowled.

* * *

Lionear blinked, and he soon realized where he was. Had that been something in the past? How could that be possible? Lionear could not see the future. It must have been some sort of vision.

At that moment, a large mass a fur slammed into him. The breath was knocked out of him as he landed on the ground, and the newcomer pinned him.

"…." She growled.

"Hm?" Lionear tried to get up. The she-cat was quite strong.

"…" She was saying something. Couldn't she tell that he was deaf? He grunted in frustration.

Her eyes flared with anger, and her claws slowly began to press into his throat. Lionear couldn't risk getting injured, but he sensed that this she-cat wasn't as dangerous as he thought. He went limp, waiting for her grip to loosen.

She didn't.

Lionear waited a little longer, and the she-cat released him. He could see pure horror in her eyes. He swallowed, and then sprang up, his fur fluffed up.

"…" She seemed uncertain. Out of habit, Lionear flicked his tail, tapping air.

"…" That must have been a question, for he could see confusion in the she-cat's eyes.

"Err!" Lionear moaned, trying to let her know that he couldn't hear.

"…" The she-cat still looked confused. After a moment, though, her face seemed to clear. Now she understood.

Lionear sighed with relief. "Mm?"

"…" Confusion in her face again. He groaned when he realized that she didn't understand him. Only his sister and a few others knew about the signals.


	3. Wait or fight

**I just thought of something epic. Kagamine Rin and Len V.S Lionear and Icegaze. :D**

**Also…I AM BACK FROM EUROPE! We will now go back to the regular schedule! Updating at least once a week. :3**

Icegaze yowled. She wailed. She screeched in 'agony'. She let out a long and loud meow.

Nothing happened.

She growled in frustration, clawing at the mesh again. She couldn't see anything. This caused her to be even more on edge. Maybe, if Lionear had been with her, she would have thought of a better plan.

She couldn't though. Icegaze was right on the edge. If she wasn't let out of this tiny space, and if she couldn't find her brother, she would break.

"Let me go!" Icegaze yowled. "Lionear! Where are you?" She tried to bite the mesh. It tasted funny, and it was as hard as stone. "You piece of fox-dung twolegs!" She spat. "I hate you all!" Icegaze screeched in anger. She rammed her head against the mesh, and she felt it shake. She did it again and again, trying to break through.

She stopped when she scented a twoleg near the mesh. She scrambled backwards, trying to escape.

"Eye-Siss!" The twoleg cried in a high-pitched voice. "Eye-Siss! Cahlmm!" Icegaze bared her teeth and hissed. She had no idea what the twoleg was saying, and she didn't want to know.

She had heard the stories about the twolegs. About what they did to a cat if they captured one. Icegaze did not want her claws to be removed. She needed her claws. They couldn't steal them!

Icegaze fluffed up her fur, ready to defend herself at any moment. "Ahw! Yoo pohr katte!" The twoleg made a high pitched squeaking noise, and Icegaze winced. "Dohnit woerri. Yoooll bee udaptede son! Yor suche uh kyoot katte."

Icegaze hissed. The twoleg was making her more and more nervous. "L-leave me alone!" She suddenly backed down. She couldn't take it. Maybe, if Lionear had been with her, she might have been stronger. But her brother wasn't with her. She was just half of the body. He was the other half. She was nothing without him. "Just go away." She whimpered, cowering.

Of all the foes there were, she had to be defeated by this one. Icegaze couldn't believe it, but she knew she would not be able to defend herself.

Not without Lionear...

"I'm such a coward." Icegaze whimpered. "But...I can't. I just...I can't!" She began to shake, her legs barely holding her up. "I need you, Lionear!" She yowled. "Please!" Her voice cracked. "Brother..."

"Eye-siss duo neet weourree." Icegaze bowed her head, submitting. She could never be able to fight back without her brother.

"You can main or kill me," Icegaze whispered. "but I won't care. I will never care."

A part of her wished she weren't blind. Another was glad she was blind, so that she could just give up. Icegaze was tired.

She was tired of being prey. She was tired of being blind. She was tired of having those she loved ripped away from her. Icegaze wasn't going to do it anymore.

She tensed when she heard the strange thing she was in open. Metal on metal was a terrible noise. Instead of fighting, she went limp, letting the twoleg grab her again. Her body was lifted out of the strange metallic box, and into another twoleg's arms.

Icegaze didn't resist as she was laid down on a smooth, flat surface. She felt something poke her neck, but she didn't care. "Kill me." Icegaze pleaded. "Kill me already!"

OoO

"No!" Icegaze screeched. She just had to have a vision right before she would finally rest. A vision!

"Why have you given up?" She noticed a strange cat sitting next to her. She jumped, realizing that it had cloudy blue, almost white eyes. The cat's fur was completely white.

"Who are you?" Icegaze hissed.

"I am Fate." The cat replied.

Icegaze backed up. "F-Fate? What kind of name is that?"

"It's my title. My job is exactly the same." Fate answered matter-of-factly.

Icegaze's heart seemed to stop. "That's not-"

"It is. Now I will ask you again-Why have you given up?" Fate stared right into Icegaze's eyes, making her shiver. It was almost like he was trying to pull the words right out of her.

"Lion-L-Lion-" She couldn't say it! Icegaze couldn't admit it.

Fate sighed. "You have to accept what I have given you. I give each cat a fate right as they are born. Fate is your life. It is what is to happen. Fates are chosen at random. Some get happy, comfortable ones, while others get sadistic, evil ones. And some get the rarest fate of all: being one of 'Them'."

Icegaze swallowed. "One of them?" She asked.

"When you receive 'that' fate, you become a Gemini or an Ember." Fate's eyes softened. "Some think of it as a bad thing, while other use it to their advantage."

Icegaze opened her mouth to say something. Fate cut her off. "As Fate, I cannot tell you everything. You must slowly discover what your fate is. But, I can give you some advice. I can give each being a little advice once in their lifetime."

Icegaze leaned in, curious. "Well?" She asked.

Fate shrugged. "Count the moons."

Icegaze blinked. "That's it?" She scoffed. "What kind of cat are you? Some advice." She turned to leave, ramming into a wall of stone. "What-!"

"You cannot leave yet!" Fate growled.

Icegaze unsheathed her claws. "No one can force me to stay anywhere." She felt anger begin to rise up inside of her. "I'm not weak!"

Fate seemed to portray some sort of happiness. "I knew it. Icegaze, you don't need your brother to fight."

Icegaze seemed to realize what Fate meant. Her eyes flared with hatred. "You are right, I can manage without him, but I do need him! He relies on me, as I rely on him. We need each other. And nothing, not even fate, can pull us apart."

Fate dipped his head. "It seems you have made your decision."

Icegaze calmed down, satisfied with his answer.

"But you need to make another choice. One last one, for now at least." Fate looked Icegaze in the eyes. "You need to decide if you are going to wait, or fight."

Icegaze blinked. "What?"

"Wait or fight. You need to decide now."

"I-I don't understand." Icegaze swallowed.

Fate's eyes flashed. "Wait or fight!"

"I don't-" She couldn't comprehend anything.

"Decide!"


	4. Dapple

Lionear groaned. His situation seemed hopeless. How could he ever talk to the she-cat? He pawed his ears, staring at her intently.

She asked something, confused.

Lionear opened his mouth, 'speaking'. He tried to say, "I cannot hear!"

The she-cat seemed to understand. She nodded slowly. As she did so, Lionear noticed something around her neck. His eyes widened. He took a step back. No, that was impossible!

Well, not anymore.

The she-cat tilted her head. Then she seemed to realize it too. She scrambled back, her eyes blazing. Anger, hurt, and fear were in her eyes.

Lionear looked down, his eyes clouding with guilt. He flicked his tail, beginning to apologize. Then he stopped. Even if this she-cat could understand his tail signals, an 'apology' would do nothing.

He had met this she-cat when he was just an apprentice. Lionear had chased her off of his Clan's territory. She was a kittypet. A trespasser. At least, that was what she was back then.

"You were the one who had stolen my prey!" The she-cat declared. Lionear blinked.

"But didn't I chase you-" He began to say.

"No, I chased you." The she-cat spat, venom in her voice.

Lionear opened his mouth to respond. He couldn't, for he was breathless. "H-hold on," He trembled.

"What, thief? You and your kind have stolen and attacked me for seasons! Ugh! And to think you managed to pull off that 'I'm deaf' stunt on me..." She scoffed.

His eyes widened. "I'm supposed to be deaf! Why in the world am I talking? Why can I hear you?"

The she-cat narrowed her eyes. "Oh, stop. I've already caught you. Give it up, Antonio."

Lionear felt strangely relieved that the she-cat was not the same one from long ago. That would have been much more awkward.

He was confused, though. How could he hear? "You said something about my...kind?"

The she-cat groaned. "Stop playing dumb. I know house cats like you are always causing trouble. At least your sister doesn't have your character traits." She ranted. "She's a better role model than-"

"Stop!" Lionear gasped. "I have no idea what you're talking about! And my name is not Afroneon. It's Lionear. I have a sister, but she and I happen to be very similar. Also, what is your name? And, um, where am I? One more thing: Why can I hear? I was born without the ability to listen with my ears."

The she-cat seemed dubious. Then she began to relax. "Of course. You don't smell like-" She stopped, holding in a chuckle. "-Afroneon." She couldn't help herself. Lionear wondered if she was making fun of him. "His name is Antonio."

"Oh, I see." Lionear nodded. He stiffened. "Oh StarClan! I need to find my sister!" He looked at the she-cat. "Uh,"

"Dapple."

"Dapple, did you happen to see another she-cat? She has white fur. She's blind. Her scent is very similar to mine. We're sib-lings." His voice cracked. "I lost her...they took her...I think they took her." He looked down, speaking quickly. "I think it's my fault! I should have been paying attention, looking out for her. She's so bold sometimes."

Dapple placed her tail gently on Lionear's shoulder. "Calm down. Let's start with one thing first. How about we figure out-" Her voice seemed to fade out.

Lionear completely forgot about Dapple. He stared straight ahead as he got lost in his thoughts.

Icegaze had gotten lost...probably twolegs...those beastly creatures...badgers were pretty beastly too...so were foxes...he had a very bad experience with badgers...Goldenfeather had saved them...oh, what had happened to her...Ashstep and Goldenfeather were both dead...murdered by those...

"Hello? Hellooo..." Lionear jumped.

"Sorry!" He apologized quickly. "I sometimes space out..." He said awkwardly.

"Evidently." Dapple chuckled. "So let's start with the most important thing: Why can you hear me? You say that you're supposed to be deaf. A tortoiseshell doesn't just change into a tabby."

Lionear shook his head, sitting down. "I don't know. Unless..."

"What?" Dapple looked alarmed. "What is it?"

"Is it possible that I'm dreaming?"

Dapple looked confused. "How could you-wait, you could be. But that would mean that I am also dreaming. So I am either a made up character in this dream that you're having, or this is my dream and you are a made up character."

Lionear groaned. "I'm so confused." Then he jumped up, causing Dapple to start. "Tell me about yourself. Has anything odd happened to you? Do have visions? Odd talents?"

"Uh...no?" Dapple squinted. "Well, I used to be a house cat. I never got this collar off, though. Is that something useful?"

"Do you remember anything about your family? Did someone ever try to kill you?" Lionear pressed on.

"Oh sure, no one has ever tried to kill me." Dapple replied sarcastically. "I did have a sister, though." She mused.

Lionear pricked his ears. "Sister?"

"Yeah. She was an air-head. She was always in the clouds. She had no logic up there, you know? I was the one who got her outta trouble. I thought it was best for her when she was taken away to live with other housefolk."

Lionear looked alarmed. "Wait, you were separated?"

"Yep."

"Did you know anyone named Sol?" Lionear had seen and heard the past. He knew all about Sol. He knew about the tom's powers, too.

Dapple's eyes widened. "You kidding? My sister would always talk about him, saying we were kin. I have no idea who he really is. Might've been some imaginary friend."

Lionear's face changed from curious to confused. "I thought you were more of a suspicious personality?"

Dapple looked confused again. "Sometimes. But you're not one of...them. I can tell."

"Oh no..." Lionear stood, backing away.

"What?"

"Have you ever heard of an 'Ember'?"

"No. Though Isis, the new house cat who was just placed in the same home with Antonio and his sister, will sometimes go on these crazy rants about 'Fate' and 'Burning'. Between you and me," Dapple leaned in closer. "I think she's a bit...you know."

"Dapple?"

"Mm?"

"How long did I space out?"

"Oh, that? I think you must have been really exhausted. It was really awkward though. I'm glad I didn't have to bring it up first-" She began to ramble.

"How long?"

"About two days..."

"Have you ever spoken to Isis?"

"I've tried, but she just acts like I'm some poisonous snake or something." Dapple shrugged.

Lionear swallowed. "So tell me, what does she call you? 'Accursed Snake'? 'Ember'?"

"She said I was a 'Burning' or something." Dapple was slowly beginning to look alarmed. "W-why?"

"That's why I can hear." Lionear whispered.

"Why?" Dapple asked.

"You're a Burning."

"A what?"

"And I think I know who 'Isis' is." Lionear sighed, closing his eyes.

"I don't follow..." Dapple muttered.

"Even I am not completely sure what Burning are." He then proceeded to explain what he was, and what an Ember was. He also explained who 'Isis' was.

Dapple looked excited. "That explains it! That's why-"

She didn't get to finish what had to be an important sentence.

"Look at what we have here!" Lionear turned. "Dapple, are you taking in outsiders now?"

Lionear had been around arrogant jerks long enough to recognize one anywhere. "And who might you be?" He challenged, unsheathing his claws.

The tom narrowed his eyes. "Is that a threat?"

"First you need to tell me what your name is. Then maybe I'll fight you."

Dapple gave Lionear a look that said 'don't do it!'

But she was underestimating him. Sure, he was weaker without Icegaze, but he could still fight. Especially if this cat happened to be some idiotic piece of fox-dung.

"My name happens to be Antonio."


	5. Afroneon?

**This chapter takes place two days before Lionear meets Antonio. It's a "catch-up" chapter. You know, since Lionear spaced out for two days.**

Icegaze straightened. "Decide, eh?" She swallowed. "Since I have no idea what is going on, and someone doesn't want to explain anything, I'll wait."

Fate shrugged. "Alright then. Remember my advice."

Count the moons.

That was Fate's advice.

"Yeah, yeah-"

Iceee...iceee...Ice...

Icegaze looked up, eyes wide. "What-"

"Isis!"

The loud voice right next to her ear jolted her awake.

OoO

Icegaze woke to the darkness, and she knew that she was back in reality again. She yawned, scenting the air. She stiffened when she realized where she was.

"Wh-what? Where am I?" Panic crept into her voice. "Lionear?"

"Isis." She whipped her head around. Icegaze could just feel the anxiety radiating off of the cat that had spoken.

"What?" She snapped. Icegaze had decided that she could survive without her brother. She would manage for the time being, even though it was like half of her body was gone.

"U-um hello!" She heard the voice quaver.

"And who might you be?" Icegaze was as confident as she could be. She needed to seem strong and imposing. If she was seen as that kind of cat, she would be able to get straight answers.

"I...am...named...frehshell.." Icegaze scowled. The cat that had spoken was evidently intimidated by her.

"What? Speak up." She glared, pretending that she could use her eyes.

"My name is Frizzle!" The voice cried. It must have been a she-cat that had spoken. "Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry about earlier!"

Icegaze's ears twitched. "Pardon? What about earlier?" She completely forgot about having to get answers.

"The orange tom that smelled just like you! He attacked me! Now don't hurt me!" The she-cat whimpered.

Was this 'orange colored tom that smelled like her' Lionear? It must have been. She remembered when he'd gone off to chase away a trespasser. Was the trespasser this pitiful kittypet?

Icegaze heard the she-cat beginning to back away.

She wouldn't let this 'Frizzle' get away from her so soon. Icegaze shot forward, hoping that her nose was accurate. Icegaze felt satisfaction fill her heart as she caught the she-cat's tail.

"Isis! Please don't hurt me. Our housefolk said you were nice enough. I'm sorry if I made you angry!" Frizzle was shaking. She started to pull away.

Icegaze slowly unsheathed her claws. "Listen, Frizzle," She spat. "I've been through quite a lot. I'm not in the mood for playing games. I will ask you questions, and you will answer them. Okay?"

Frizzle didn't answer. Icegaze wasn't quite sure of she was nodding or not. "Okay?" She repeated, her voice full of impatience.

"Y-yes! Okay!"

"Good. Now, I need to know where I am and why I'm here." Icegaze growled.

"W-well the housefolk take in injured cats to h-help them. You're in one of th-their nests with me f-for rehab..." Frizzle swallowed. "Rehabilitation?"

Icegaze relaxed, letting go of the frightened she-cat. "Fox-dung! Badger-breath. Mouse-dung. Fish-brain..." She began to spit out curse words, every word making Frizzle even more tense. "They actually managed to capture me!"

"C-capture?" Frizzle asked tentatively. Her voice seemed to be farther away. Coward...

"I don't belong here!" Icegaze huffed. "And why do you keep calling me...Eye's Sis?"

"Isis..." Frizzle timidly corrected Icegaze.

The tension was slowly melting away as they spoke. Even though Icegaze was frustrated and angry and confused, she could feel Frizzle becoming more comfortable.

Even Icegaze was beginning to relax. "My name isn't Isis." Her voice cracked. "It's..." She laid down, burying her muzzle in her paws.

"The housefolk call you Isis!" Frizzle explained, her voice clear of any stuttering. "Um...you have a different name?"

"Yes." Icegaze was beginning to think of the murders of Ashstep and Goldenfeather. She was reminded of her shameless father and Stonestar. All of those memories...in one name. "I am usually known as Icegaze."

"What a pretty name!" Frizzle cried. "I wish my name sounded just as graceful as that. Instead I am Frizzle." She pretended to sound whiny, trying to lighten the mood. "Ah...Icegaze. So nice!"

Icegaze let out a long sigh. She opened her mouth, then closed it, swallowing the sentence that she was about to deliver. Did Frizzle not realize that...Icegaze was blind?

Of course she didn't! All of the clues were right in front of her! Frizzle was so frightened of her, and she wasn't bothered by Icegaze's cruel name. She probably would have been less of a coward if she knew. Icegaze could use this to her advantage, couldn't she? This strange kittypet, Frizzle, was clueless.

"I could use this to my advantage. I could find Lionear!" She murmured. "Frizzle!" Icegaze stood, 'looking' at the kittypet.

"Y-yes?" And the stutter was back...

"Does anyone else live here? In this...nest?" She realized that she had no idea where she was in the nest. Icegaze needed to explore. She would. Later.

"My brother, Antonio." As if on cue, Icegaze scented another cat. Frizzle couldn't have been too young, but she was certainly younger than Icegaze. This Afroneon tom was younger than her. This made Icegaze a senior, and that worked out perfectly. She could easily get answers this way.

"You called?" Icegaze heard the strong, confident voice. This tom was probably very arrogant. He reminded her of someone...maybe even multiple someones.

Icegaze tasted bile as she thought of the Gray Three.

"Is this the new cat?" She turned her head, 'glancing' at Afroneon as he spoke.

"Yes." Icegaze snapped.

"Antonio, this is Icegaze." Oh, it was Antonio, not Afroneon.

"I thought her name was Isis?" Antonio sneered. Icegaze 'followed' him with her 'gaze' as he got closer.

"Evidently it isn't," Icegaze stood, flexing her claws. "Antonio."

"Hmph." The tom sat down in front of her. He seemed to be washing himself.

Icegaze let out a low growl. "I may be new here, but I am a senior. This is my space now." She rumbled. She needed to let Antonio and Frizzle know that she was the new 'Clan leader'.

Icegaze didn't want to become a hypocrite by turning into a bully herself, but she needed to prove her strength. It was the only way to survive, if she wanted to survive at all.

Antonio scoffed. "You? A blind kitten can't have her own territory yet." He teased. "You're barely old enough to be on your own. What are you doing away from mother? Besides, you can't even see."

Icegaze cursed under her breath. So it wasn't much of a secret. That wouldn't be such a big deal, would it? "So?" She growled again, unsheathing her claws. Then she stopped herself. Maybe this was what Fate had meant by 'wait'. Icegaze needed to 'wait' before just jumping in to fight.

Antonio began to say something when he was cut off. "What-"

"Hey! Antonio! Get out here, fast!" Icegaze pricked her ears when she heard the voice.

"Hm, maybe you should go check that out?" She remarked snidely.

She heard the tom huff and then walk away, probably to where the cat must have been. "Is this what you wanted, Fate?" Icegaze muttered. "Because there, I've done it. I've waited-"

She gasped, stumbling.

Before her stood Fate. Again. The strange cat calmly stared at her, his head slightly tilted. "Well?"

"'Well' what?" Icegaze snapped.

"Are you going to decide?"

"I already did!"

"No, a new decision." Fate sighed.

Icegaze groaned. "Why can't you decide for yourself? I need to find my brother!"

"Because you're a Gemini."

"Huh?" Icegaze blinked.

"You're a Gemini, and you have powers." Fate stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I know that." Icegaze growled. "Just give me a straight answer!"

"You can see the future. This means that you must choose the future." Fate replied.

Icegaze took a step back, shocked. "Choose the future?"


	6. A fight

Lionear growled. "Let's-" Suddenly, everything went quiet. He stumbled back, shocked. He noticed Dapple unsheathe her claws. She must've been focused on Antonio, not Lionear.

That must've been why he couldn't hear again!

He didn't have Icegaze with him, but he did have the knowledge of the past. He knew every move that the infamous Scourge had used. He had 'learned' from Hawkfrost and Tigerstar. Lionear had seen how the ancient Firestar had fought.

If Antonio thought he could beat Lionear, he was very wrong.

Antonio leapt, attempting to bowl him over. Lionear saw it coming and easily dodged. He saw the tom crash and then scramble to his feet. Antonio's eyes were filled with rage and embarrassment.

Lionear curled his lip in satisfaction. He then shot forward, raking his claws across Antonio's face. Blood stained his claws, and he noticed Dapple backing away, eyes wide. Lionear ignored her, and leapt onto the kittypet's back. He dug in his claws, and more blood oozed out.

Antonio writhed and shrugged his shoulders, trying to get Lionear off.

Lionear didn't let go. He held on tightly, nipping at Antonio's ears from time-to-time. He bit down on the tom's scruff and pulled back. He saw blood and Antonio's eyes glazed with shock and pain.

Suddenly, Antonio lashed out, and at the same time, pulling away. The kittypet's claws managed to catch him in the nose, and blood flew into Lionear's eyes. He hissed, his eyes stinging. He quickly blinked, trying to clear his vision.

He saw Antonio again, this time aiming for his legs. Lionear weaved in and out, confusing the kittypet. He then brought his paw up, claws tearing off clumps of belly fur. He was ready to attack again, but something rammed into him. Lionear gasped as the breath was knocked out of him. He landed on the ground, grunting.

Lionear saw that Dapple had disappeared. He also saw that there was another cat. It was a bulky white tom with amber eyes. He snorted, not at all surprised. Of course Antonio, a bully to other cats, would have some sort of companion or bodyguard.

The white tom spat something, but Lionear didn't hear it. Instead, he focused on a new strategy. He ignored the white tom who was probably spewing threats. Lionear eyed the tom's eyes. One was cloudy, as if it was infected.

That must have been the tom's blind side. He probably couldn't see a thing with that infected eye. Lionear stood, facing the newcomer. He curled his lip, looking the tom in the eye. Antonio also curled his lip, ready for Lionear to attack.

He lunged forward, hitting Antonio in the face. He saw the white tom bunch his muscles, and Lionear circled to the left, getting on his blind side.

He shot forward, nipping the tom's legs. Lionear saw movement out of the corner of his eye and he shot his legs out, executing a back kick.

Right when he thought he was going to win, he saw two she-cats racing toward him and Antonio. Lionear cursed in his mind.

He scrambled away, knowing that, even with his skill, he could never fight four opponents at once (and win).

Suddenly, he could hear again. "-and don't come back, you-" The white tom was saying. Lionear turned to see Dapple nearby. She beckoned for him to come over with her tail. He grunted and sprinted to where she was crouching.

He then realized where he was: just outside Clan territory. He could easily be found if the Embers looked close enough.

"Dapple-" Lionear began.

"No! We need to get to a safe place!" Dapple interrupted him. "You will explain everything," She shot him a look. "after we get to safety. Now follow me. I can tell that you don't want to be here."

OoO

After about an hour, Lionear and Dapple were in an alley, hidden from other cats and twolegs.

Dapple turned to him. She nodded. "Speak up. Tell me everything." Lionear began to talk back. "I need to understand what exactly is going on. And I have no idea-"

"Okay, okay." Lionear sighed.

He began to explain how he could hear. At least, he explained his theory; he didn't actually know.

"I think it's because you're a Burning, or a powerful cat that was born for one reason: to kill Gemini." Lionear said.

Dapple shook her head. "I thought Embers did that?"

Lionear nodded. "Yes."

The she-cat rolled her eyes. "That's why I'm asking! Why have two different kinds of killing machines?"

Lionear swallowed. "I'm not quite sure, but I believe the Burning were too powerful for even StarClan to control. So they had to make slightly less powerful cats that could still get rid of Gemini."

"Oh, okay."

"And before you ask, I have no idea why they'd want to kill Gemini." Lionear continued.

Dapple stood. "So a Burning is powerful enough to-"

"-reverse things like deafness? Probably."

Dapple began to pad away.

Lionear also stood. "W-wait, where are you going?"

Dapple sighed. "Moron. You haven't eaten for what, three days? I'm getting you food!" She then ran off, disappearing from Lionear's view.

He sat back down, wondering what a 'moron' was. Was it kittypet slang for 'mouse-brain'? Maybe. Well, Dapple was right. He was very hungry. Why hadn't he noticed? It was probably the adrenalin and the fact that his sister was gone.

Where could she have gone? Hopefully not very far.

Even though he knew Dapple would be back with food soon and that he was literally starving, Lionear considered going out to find her.

Before he could do that, though, Dapple returned.

Lionear expected fresh-kill, but instead she was carrying something red and furless in her mouth.

"Uh...what is that?" Lionear asked.

"Food, moron." Again, she said moron! It must have meant mouse-brain. "Cooked fish. Frizzle'z housefolk had leftover food. Here, eat."

Lionear stepped forward, tentatively sniffing the 'cooked fish'. He then took a careful bite. It tasted vaguely like fish, though it was masked by many musky and salty flavors. He wrinkled his nose. "I can't really taste the fish." He grumbled. Lionear pushed the rest away from him. "Here, you have the rest."

"Are you kidding? This stuff is hard to find!" Dapple protested.

"Sorry," Lionear apologized. "but I can't eat twoleg food. I'm going out to find some fresh-kill.

"You'll get lost without me, and you'll lose your hearing again." Dapple said.

"I can manage. I won't go too far away. Maybe I'll get a rat or mouse. I'll be right back." Lionear promised.

"Okay then." Dapple dipped her head, her eyes glinting with amusement.

Lionear turned away, exiting the alley. As he did so, an acrid smell filled his nostrils. He could smell the monsters and the thunderpaths. If he stayed out of the way, he could quickly catch something and get back to Dapple without any trouble.

Lionear noticed some movement and his head snapped up. He began to creep forward, thinking it was a mouse. As he did so, he saw blurred silver. Lionear's eyes widened in horror.

He spun around, sprinting back to the alley.

"Back so soon?" Dapple asked, amused. Lionear panted, his fur fluffed up.

"O-okay, f-fine." He shivered. "J-just give me the f-fish."


	7. Knocked Out

Icegaze didn't say anything else for a moment. Her face then lit up. "If I can see and choose the future, then I want to-"

Fate's eyes flashed with horror. "Careful!" He yelled.

Icegaze narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"If you're not careful..." Fate murmured. He sighed. "That is all I am allowed to say."

Icegaze let out a low growl. "Finish the sentence." She wondered if she could choose to change her own fate..."Wait," Icegaze whispered.

"Hm?" Fate stood and began to pad around, batting at the grass.

"I-I want to-" Icegaze gasped. Could she really do it? She had to! "I want Lionear to find me!" She cried.

Fate's eyes darkened. "I guess I have no choice. I must obey a Gemini."

Icegaze stood, and she padded closer to Fate. "You must follow my orders?" She asked, her voice full of excitement.

Fate let out a low growl. "Don't get too carried away!"

Icegaze chuckled. "I can do what I want, can't I? My brother and I can find each other other if I want that to happen!" Her eyes were full of despair. "Let me do that!" She wanted to see Lionear so badly.

Fate scowled. "I have no choice but to listen to you."

Icegaze nodded quickly.

The white tom sighed before turning away. "He will find you."

Before Icegaze could say anything else, she woke up.

OoO

"Eye-siss?" Icegaze woke to darkness yet again. She shot up when she heard the voice. As she did so, she smacked her head on a mesh.

"Fox-dung! Where am I?" Icegaze cursed. She cursed again when she realized why she had hit her head. She was in that strange metal box that the twolegs kept her in when they had first captured her.

She hissed and lashed out, trying to claw whatever was in front of her. She heard a piercing yelp that came from the twoleg. It must've been closer to her than she though, and she had managed to hit it. Icegaze felt satisfied.

She gasped and scrambled back. Where was Lionear? Would he still be able to find her? How could he ever figure out where she was of even she did not know?

"Whee ahre tahckeenge yoo hohm Eye-siss!" The twoleg exclaimed in a high-pitched voice that made Icegaze flatten her ears. She shrank back, not sure if she was going to be poked again.

"Lionear?"

Icegaze felt something warm and smooth touch her. "Lionear!" She screeched. She turned her head, trying to bite whatever was touching her. Her heart pounded as her teeth sunk in. Icegaze tasted blood as she heard an ear-shattering screech that had to be a twoleg's. She grunted in satisfaction and let go. She swiped her tongue around her jaws.

"Don't touch me." Icegaze growled. The twoleg seemed to understand, and it didn't touch her anymore.

She rested her head on her paws, sighing. She wanted to be let out of the box. It was too tight, and she wanted to be in an open space. Icegaze couldn't stand the feeling of being trapped.

She pricked her ears when she heard a slam and a twoleg speaking. Icegaze stiffened when she felt the box being pocked up. "Put me down!" The twoleg did, but in another enclosed space! Even if she couldn't see it, she could still smell it.

Icegaze let out a yowl. She wrapped her paws around the metallic sticks that kept her trapped in the box, pulling as hard as she could.

Suddenly, the box was lifted up again. Icegaze shrank back. She began to shake. Didn't the twolegs realize that she hated the box?

"Twolegs cannot understand anything." Icegaze muttered. "They're just inconsiderate, terrible, selfish, self-absorbed slobs!" She growled. "Go and die you filthy pieces of fox-dung!"

Icegaze stopped when she recognized a scent. It was-

"Hello a-again!" Ah yes, Frizzle. Icegaze scowled when she also scented Antonio.

"Fox-dung isn't much of an insult." The tom remarked. Icegaze slammed against the box, trying to get out. "Most of the cats in this area use-"

Frizzle interrupted her brother. "Maybe you shouldn't say that!"

Icegaze leaned in, her panic forgotten. "Tell me more." She was curious.

The sticks covering the box opened, and she leapt out, crashing into Frizzle. "Sorry." Icegaze muttered.

"You really want me to tell you?" Antonio asked, sounding smug.

"No-" Frizzle began.

"Yes." Icegaze ignored Frizzle.

"Well..." Antonio explained every insult that the kittypets used. Icegaze could sense Frizzle was becoming more and more uncomfortable.

"These are certainly much different from insults that Clan cats use." Icegaze mused. "I have to admit, twolegs are very creative when it comes to words like that."

"Yes, as are us, er, kittypets." Antonio replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

Icegaze sighed and flopped down on her belly. "I just want to sleep." She grumbled. "I'm tired and exhausted."

"Uh, about that..." Frizzle began nervously. "You fell asleep for two days."

Icegaze's head shot up. "What?" Had her vision really lasted that long? "Then I can't sleep now!"

"You need to rest-" Antonio growled.

"Since when do you care?" Icegaze spat. "I thought you were the arrogant tom, not the caring mate."

She heard fading pawsteps. "Fine. I'm leaving, Frizzle." Antonio called, bitterness in his voice. Icegaze heard a noise, and then his scent disappeared, leaving only a trace.

Icegaze sighed with annoyance. "Frizzle?" She grumbled.

"Yes?" The kittypet seemed to be yawning as she spoke.

"I'm hungry." Icegaze grunted.

"I'm sorry!" Frizzle whimpered. She ran off, her claws scraping the floor as she fled.

Icegaze sat there, confused. "What-"


	8. Reunited Again

Lionear looked at Dapple. "So now that we've eaten and restored our energy, don't you think that we should go see my sister?"

Dapple tilted her head. "Your sister?"

Lionear sighed, annoyed. "Isis?"

"Oh, right. Follow me." Dapple stood and began to walk out of the alley they had been seeking shelter in.

Lionear's heart began to beat quickly. He was going to see his sister again! It had felt like ages since he had seen her. Icegaze had been his counterpart...he needed her...he wouldn't have thought it was so easy to find her, but he didn't try to question anything. All he wanted was to see her.

"Wait for me!" Lionear purred and then ran after Dapple.

They weaved past monsters, hiding when they saw twolegs. He and Dapple had to look out for scent markers, too. Antonio seemed to have the run of the twolegplace, because his scent was everywhere.

They had several close calls with monsters and twolegs. Lionear was grateful that StarClan seemed to be on their side.

"Stop," He heard Dapple murmur. "I think Antonio and Broken are around here. Be quiet and keep low for now." She told him.

Lionear groaned. "Has Antonio always been a bully?" He hissed. "Why do let yourself live like this?" He bared his teeth. "That mouse-brain thinks he's so tough."

Dapple sighed, embarrassed. "Well, he is..."

Lionear turned on the she-cat. "He's a coward, Dapple. He can hardly fight, so he has a bunch of other cats that are there to back him up."

"So what do you expect me and the other loners to do? Rise up against his little army because we have lots of motivation?"

"Yes!"

"Well life doesn't work that way, Lionear." Dapple growled. "There's always some higher cat that bosses the lower ones around. If we want to do something about it, then we have to try to be more powerful than the higher cat to fight back."

Lionear opened his mouth to say something.

"Guess what? We happen to be weaker than the higher cats, so we can't fight back! Yeah, we have the motivation, but Antonio wouldn't just surrender. Antonio has the upper paw. He has more cats in his gang." Dapple spun around. "Let's go. I don't think you'd want to meet Broken." She rumbled.

Lionear scowled, following Dapple. How could she give up so easily? He wanted so badly to wipe that smug look off of Antonio's face. The tom was such a coward! He was just as bad as Lionear's father.

"No..." Lionear shook his head. "No one is as bad as Fireclaw." His eyes darkened. "No one." He muttered, thinking about Ashstep and Goldenfeather.

"Hey," He looked up when he heard Dapple's voice. "We're almost there."

Lionear's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Dapple jerked her head upwards. "See that nest? She lives there."

Lionear scented the air. He stiffened. It smelled like...

When he had first met Dapple, he had thought she was the kittypet from long ago. But she was just a random loner that smelled like one. But this scent...it had to be...

"I-I can't go in there." Lionear whispered, eyes wide. He was too ashamed.

"What?" Dapple asked incredulously. "Didn't you say you were littermates? You need to go in there and see her! You need her, right?"

"It's just that-" Lionear began.

"Let's go." Dapple grabbed his scruff and began to drag him toward the nest. "We're going through the cat flap."

Lionear sighed and shrugged Dapple off. "Fine." His eyes clouded. "Icegaze,"

Dapple nodded. "It's okay, you can go in."

Lionear swallowed and pushed against the strange hard thing that must have been what Dapple called a 'cat flap'.

He smelled the she-cat, and shame flooded through him. He could also smell Icegaze!

"L-Lionear?" He turned to see who had said his name. Joy coursed through him, replacing the shame.

"I'm here, Icegaze!" He called. "I-" Lionear stopped. He could see his sister, but he also saw someone else. He could smell that someone else too.

Dapple let out a low growl. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, using another one of her mysterious insults.

Icegaze ran forward, crashing into her brother. "Lionear! I knew you would find me! Fate was right!"

"Wha-Fate?" Lionear asked.

"Yes, he-" Icegaze stopped, her cloudy eyes full of confusion. "Wait, you can hear me?"

Lionear chuckled nervously. "Uh...yeah..."

Icegaze's face changed from happy to frightened in an instant. "Fox-dung." She hissed. "Fox dung!" She scented the air. "Who is with you?"

"Um...her name is Dapple." Lionear said carefully.

"Her?" Icegaze screeched. She backed away. "Lionear what are you doing? Dapple is a Burning! You know what a Burning is?!"

Lionear's eyes widened. "C-calm down. I know she is one, but she isn't like Fireclaw or the Embers."

"Of course not!" Icegaze spat. "She is much, much worse. She is the failed experiment of StarClan. She was too powerful for them to control! Burning are too powerful. They were meant to kill Gemini!" Icegaze was radiating so much fear and hysteria that Lionear almost toppled over. "Gemini, Lionear!"

"She isn't like them!" Lionear replied angrily. "Dapple may be a Burning, but she hasn't tried to kill me! And look-I can hear! Because of her!"

Icegaze shook her head, backing away. "Of course she hasn't killed you yet." Her eyes were full of pain. "Oh, Lionear, I am so sorry. She's been toying with you."

Lionear wasn't sure why, but he felt driven to protect Dapple. "What do you know?!" He shot back. "You've just met her! You don't know what she's like!"

Icegaze let out a small growl. "Really? You think I don't know? Brother, I think you have forgotten about what I am capable of."

Lionear unsheathed his claws. "Have I? Or maybe you've forgotten about what I'm capable of?" He completely forgot about the other scents and Antonio.

Icegaze growled. "I can see the future! And you know what else I can do? I can choose the future! Yes, choose it! Don't be a mouse-brain, Lionear. I am powerful. Much more powerful than before. I probably know more about that she-cat than you do."

"I've known her longer! And I can see the past! You probably have no idea-"

"Then let's fight now and see who is more powerful." Icegaze rumbled. "I know what you're going to do to attack me. I know you better than anyone, too."

"But I have much more knowledge." Lionear chuckled. "I probably know more about fighting and strategy than you."

Icegaze let out a screech and leapt again, knocking Lionear down...again. He groaned, trying to push his sister off. He brought a paw up, whacking her in the face. She grunted, withdrawing from him.

Lionear swiped at Icegaze's face. She dodged and shot out a paw, landing a hit on his momentarily exposed stomach.

"...cheater!" Lionear exclaimed furiously.

"Hypocrite." Icegaze growled, panting.

Lionear growled and lunged at his sister, his jaws grasping her leg. She pulled away, and since he had already been going forward, he crashed into the ground. Lionear was forced to release her leg as he did so.

"You're tricky, aren't you?" They both said at the same time.

Both went silent. Lionear and Icegaze panted for breath, their pelts ragged. Lionear collapsed.

Icegaze chuckled. "We..."

"Yeah..." Lionear agreed, catching his breath. "We're both selfish, ungrateful mouse-brains..."

"...and at the same time we're both very knowledgable and strong." Icegaze began to catch her breath.

"I expected our 'reunion' to be a happy one. I didn't imagine we'd quarrel like this." Lionear said, his eyes full of amusement.

Icegaze got up and approached Lionear. She nuzzled him lightly. "I'm sorry...I missed you..." She purred.

"I apologize too. I also missed you." Lionear returned the nuzzle. Then he turned to look at Dapple. "Uh..." He realized that two other cats were watching, speechless.

"Oops." Icegaze muttered. "So, how do you think we're going to explain this?"


	9. Death

Icegaze chuckled nervously. "I'll explain-"

"No you won't...traitor!" Antonio rumbled.

Icegaze felt the familiar tap of Lionear's tail. It filled her with nostalgia as he 'spoke' to her.

'What is he talking about?'

Icegaze quickly flicked her tail. As she did so, she curled her lip. "Only a coward would follow you."

'I had to get them on my side, so I had to lie to Antonio and say that I wanted to join his group.'

Frizzle squealed, and her claws scraped the floor as she dashed off. Icegaze sighed. That kittypet was a true coward...how was Antonio related to her?

'Oh, okay.' Lionear tapped her while Antonio spat out some other threatening thing. She just ignored it.

'Yeah. So we're going to have to fight him.' Icegaze signed back.

'Just like old times.' Icegaze felt more nostalgia. She sighed.

"...so now you will pay!" Antonio finished his meaningless rant.

Annoyance rolled off of Lionear in waves. "We weren't listening to your pathetic speech. Let's skip that and get on to the fight, shall we?"

Icegaze knew what to do. This was a tactic she and he brother had practiced together. They knew very well what the other twin was going to do, so they didn't have to explain the plan to each other.

But she couldn't actually DO it, because she was frozen in shock.

Light flooded her vision, and she had to blink several times to get rid of the temporary photophobia. She knew it wasn't a vision. It couldn't be! When she had a vision there was no phosphene clouding her eyesight.

Was it possible that...what happened to Lionear was happening to her? Was there a Burning nearby?

Icegaze inhaled sharply. Her eyes were adjusting, and she knew she had to fight the arrogant tom in front of her. Lionear was done doing his part, and it was her turn.

Icegaze curled her lip, growling. She ran forward, bowling Antonio over. She pinned him to the ground. "I think you misunderstand, Antonio." Icegaze hissed, staring into the tom's "I never actually joined your gang."

Lionear looked surprised. He seemed to have noticed that she could see with her eyes.

Antonio screeched in anger, enraged. He tried to jump up and knock her off. Icegaze was taken off-guard, but her grip was still solid. So when he tried to get up, she released some pressure on one shoulder, and not the other.

There was a horrifying pop.

Lionear's eyes widened. "Ice-"

Icegaze jumped back. "Fox-dung."

Antonio's eyes bulged. He let out a yowl of pain. Icegaze winced, his yowl so loud that it hurt her ears. Then it was her turn to widen her eyes.

"Oh, mouse-dung! The twolegs must have heard that! We need to get out of here!" Icegaze exclaimed.

Lionear groaned. "Let's hurry up-" He had been in mid-turn while he'd been speaking. His eyes clouded with confusion. "D-Dapple? What are you doing?"

Icegaze narrowed her eyes. "Dapple?"

The she-cat spun around, her eyes blazing. She had been doing something to the cat-flap (that was what Frizzle called it). "Me? Oh, nothing. Why don't you go and hurt poor Antonio some more, huh?"

Icegaze caught the sarcasm in Dapple's voice. Her eyes narrowed. "Answer our question!"

"You always think Antonio is the bad guy, you wild cats! Well I'll make you pay for hurting my kin!" Dapple screeched. "The housefolk..."

Lionear took a step back, as did Icegaze. Dapple's eyes were frightening both of them.

"The housefolk are going to find you. They'll see that you hurt him. I'll leave what they're going to do to you...to your imagination."

Dapple jumped through the cat-flap, and there was a small 'click'. Icegaze followed, with her brother close behind. She felt bad for injuring Antonio, but she did not want anything to do with the twolegs.

When she jumped, the flap didn't budge, and she crashed, headfirst, into it. Lionear, in turn, crashed into her. They both groaned, their heads pounding.

"What did Dapple do? And what was she talking about?" Lionear hissed.

"We don't have time for that! Don't you hear them? The twolegs are going to come home soon and they'll see what I've done! We need to hide or get out!" Icegaze replied, panic dancing in her eyes.

Lionear shook his head. "I thought that I'd see you again under better circumstances..."

"...what?" Icegaze turned her head.

"I mean, we've lost our mother, both our mentors, our Clan, and our pride. We have no more family, and from what we just saw, we've lost all of our allies and friends. Who would've thought that we'd encounter so much misfortune just to stay together?" Lionear sighed.

There was a loud slam, and the two siblings jumped.

"I understand." Icegaze whispered.

Antonio let out another agonized wail, and Frizzle came running to where he lay. "Are you okay?" She squeaked.

"No!" He yowled. "Get the housefolk!" He gave Icegaze a pained look. She turned away, sighing.

"Sorry," She murmured before following her brother, who was now climbing the big lumpy...thing. What had Frizzle said it was? A pouch? Hair?

No...a couch! She clawed her way up quickly, knowing the twolegs would be coming in just a few moments. Icegaze noticed that the glass thing was open just enough for her and her brother to slip through. Panic set in when she heard the pawsteps of several twolegs.

Icegaze rushed forward, crashing into Lionear. He yelped, falling straight out of the window, his sister close behind.

They seemed to be suspended in the air for a moment before they fell down. Icegaze shut her eyes, terror flooding through her. At least she would die with her brother.

Lionear crashed into some bushes, and the plants cushioned his landing. Well, maybe he would manage to survive. That was good.

She wasn't so lucky. Icegaze slammed into the hard, rough ground. Blood filled her mouth, and she saw black spots.

She could feel that her bones had been broken. Her ribs and legs must have all broken, at the very least. Icegaze gagged as more and more blood filled her mouth. Lionear appeared in front of her.

Her vision blurred, and she could feel her life force fading away. It was nice that she could die with her vision intact. Since she was a Gemini, she would go to Flame, not StarClan.

Icegaze tried to spit out the blood. She was too weak.

And in a moment, everything faded out. The sounds and scents around her gradually disappeared, and black covered her vision. The taste of blood in her mouth faded too, leaving her with only one feeling: peace.

Then she was gone.


	10. Rewind

Lionear felt groggy, but he knew he was fine. He did a have a few cuts and scratches...

"I'm fine." He rasped. Then he saw Icegaze. His eyes widened in shock, and his paws began to shake. His heart skipped a beat.

There was only one thing in his mind. One word that kept repeating itself: No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Lionear approached his sister carefully. Her mouth was full of blood, and her eyes were even more cloudy and distracted than usual. Her legs were twisted in crooked angles, and she wasn't moving.

Lionear looked up. They couldn't have been that high up! How did his sister...what did this to...was she really...?

Icegaze was dead.

Whatever had happened, she was dead.

"Icegaze?" Lionear whispered. His voice shook. "I-Icegaze?!" He shot forward, frantically sniffing and nudging her. "No. No! No, Icegaze!"

He shut his eyes tightly, trying to block the pain out. This was a whole new pain. The pain before was a small loss. They had been separated, but they had known that they were alive. But this...she was dead! He would never see her again!

Lionear buried his muzzle in his sister's now bloodstained fur. "You can't leave me..." He choked back a wail. "...I need you..."

"Gemini!" Lionear jumped. He spun around, hissing. In front of him stood the same white-furred tom that he had seen in one of his dreams.

"Fate?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes." The tom, Fate, nodded.

Lionear shook. "Bring her back! You can't do this! Don't kill my sister!"

Fate shrugged. "Not my problem. It's hers."

"What are you talking about?!" Lionear screeched.

"She choose the future. She changed her own fate. Icegaze killed herself." Fate said.

Lionear went rigid. "W-what?" He whispered.

"You heard me."

Lionear shook his head in disgust. "You're cold, Fate. So, so cold." He gritted his teeth. "You manipulated her! You didn't tell her everything! How could-"

Fate stepped forward. "She didn't think it through! She should not have acted so impulsively."

Lionear growled. "Icegaze can see and choose the future? What can I do?" He could feel himself growing angry. Lionear did the best he could to control himself. How he wanted to tear his claws through that piece of fox-dung's fur!

"You can see and choose the past." Lionear unsheathed his claws. He'd had enough with Fate's nonchalant tone.

"Why didn't you tell me this before, huh?!" Lionear roared. "My sister is dead!"

Fate didn't seem phased. "This is just a vision. Tell me what you want."

Lionear's shoulders slumped. "What? Are you going to manipulate me? Oh, whoops, Lionear! I forgot to tell you that both of you die if you change the past. My bad!"

"I would not do something so irrational, Gemini!" Fate grunted. "Stop overreacting. I do not manipulate others. I do not cheat. I only follow the rules and do my best to help you."

"Well that's just great. So I could fight you and you wouldn't cheat. Thanks for letting me know!" Lionear spat, an edge to his voice.

Fate scowled. "Enough!" His paws seemed to be trembling. "You were not meant to die, and neither was Icegaze. Do not make wild assumptions. Gemini need to learn to have patience! Allow me to finish."

Lionear narrowed his eyes. "Fine. What do you have to say?"

Fate dipped his head. "Thank you. Your Fates have been changed too drastically. That means I must push them back onto the correct path, or everything will go wrong."

"So you're going to..." Lionear was dumbstruck. He hadn't thought about this...actually, he hadn't been thinking in the first place. He was too grief-stricken. Icegaze wouldn't admit that Fate was right though, and neither would he. "Then do it." He growled.

Fate seemed surprised. Maybe he thought Lionear was different from Icegaze.

"We're Gemini, right?" Lionear asked. "Then, before you do all of this crazy, wacky stuff, will you please answer one question?" He swallowed. "Why does StarClan want us dead?"

Fate didn't reply.

Lionear opened his mouth, then stopped. He saw someone in front of him. She looked familiar..."Frostdawn?"

Then he saw the legendary Firestar in front of him. "Wha-"

Firestar didn't seem to hear him. "Flame has opened! They broke through! Everything will-" The leader faded out, and Lionear couldn't hear him finish.

Four other cats were there now. Lionear's eyes widened. Hawkfrost, Mothwing, Bramblestar, and Tawnypelt. Two Gemini and two Embers.

Mothwing looked furious. "We're kin! How could you-"

Bramblestar sighed. "This is what must be. Why do you think you don't believe in StarClan?"

Tawnypelt unsheathed her claws. "You must die now. I'm sorry, Mothwing. Fate had decided this, not us." She then leapt forward, pinning Mothwing to the ground. She brought down a paw, gouging out the medicine cat's eyes. There was a screech of pain, and Tawnypelt winced. She raised her claws and brought them down on Mothwing's throat, tearing it open.

Lionear could tell that it was a vision, but he felt like he was there, witnessing Tawnypelt slaughter an ancient RiverClan medicine cat.

Mothwing's screeches of pain stopped abruptly as Tawnypelt continued delivering blows to her throat. Bramblestar and his sister were now murderers and true Embers.

Hawkfrost wasn't alive, though, so he couldn't even try to save Mothwing. It was more like he was a ghost. He seemed angered and horrified when he saw Tawnypelt. Kin killing kin...it wasn't right. Lionear knew that Hawkfrost was being a hypocrite if he were thinking that, but it didn't matter. It really wasn't right.

Bramblestar looked pained. "I'm sorry..." He whispered.

After that, it all disappeared. Lionear could see no more. Had he seen the past? Probably. The ancient Clans had died out long ago. They'd split up into three newer ones after that.

Had it started when the first Clans had been founded? Embers, Gemini, and Burning? Was this horror something that had gone on for generations? Lionear could hardly believe such a thing. But...that would mean StarClan had manipulate him. They had tricked him into thinking they were good. They weren't, though.

They were evil. They ruined his life. They killed his mother and made his father evil. It was all their fault...

"Lionear...wake up...Lionear..." He heard his name, but it was faint. He knew that if he were to wake up, he would forget all about what just happened. He would remember his visions, but the future had been changed. Lionear would have to find his sister all over again, and he would lose his hearing yet again. That was meant to happen. Maybe even him meeting Dapple was never meant to be.

Lionear took in a deep breath. He would kill Fireclaw. He and Icegaze would. They would free other Gemini and Embers of their heavy burdens, and would change the sick and twisted world StarClan had created.

At this thought, Lionear closed his eyes, ready to wake up.


	11. Gemini powers and cruel fates

Icegaze could see with her eyes when she woke up. She knew she was dead if her eyesight was back. She sighed. Where was she now? Certainly not StarClan. What was it? Flame? Wasn't that where dead Gemini went?

That must've been it. She had died, and then had gone to the place where StarClan kept all of the 'dangerous' cats.

"Icegaze!" She looked up, then stumbled back. It was him.

"You!" Icegaze spat. "Hawkfrost! You killed Frostdawn!" She glowered. The memory was still fresh in her head. He had to have done something. Her mother couldn't have just died on her own.

The tom looked hurt. "No I didn't-" He tried to protest. Maybe he hadn't, but she didn't care. She was frustrated, angry, and confused, and she needed to take it out on something.

Icegaze lunged forward. She opened her jaws, biting Hawkfrost. Her teeth sank into his forepaw, and he winced. Icegaze tasted blood. She let go, then swiped at his face, slicing his nose. Blood trickled into his mouth, and he spat viscously.

Something inside of Hawkfrost seemed to snap, and his eyes glittered with rage. He let out a growl and knocked her away. Icegaze's eyes widened in suprise. She landed on the ground with a thud.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hawkfrost asked, his voice slightly different from before. It wasn't tainted with fear or hesitation anymore. There was just pure hatred.

Icegaze scrambled to her feet. "Fox-dung!" She hissed. "What just-" Then something hit her. "Aha! Your Gemini power is that you have a split personality! Then what about your sister?"

Hawkfrost advanced on Icegaze. A growl rumbled in his throat. "Wrong, you annoying mouse-brain." He tensed his hind legs, ready to pin her to the ground.

"Then what?" Icegaze demanded. She stiffened, anticipating his attack.

"Hawkfrost!" The two cats both turned to look. "Enough, brother." A dappled golden she-cat approached Hawkfrost and Icegaze. There was a tired look in her eyes.

"Mothwing?" Icegaze whispered.

The she-cat glanced at Icegaze. "Yes, I am Mothwing." Then she turned to face her brother. Her gaze hardened. "I can't believe you! Trying to kill one of our own kind?"

Hawkfrost didn't falter. He narrowed his eyes. "You know that it's in my nature. I can do nothing to stop it."

Icegaze shook her head. "What? What are you talking about?"

Mothwing sighed. "You wanted to know what our Gemini powers were? I can only heal. I can fight, but I cannot kill. Only heal."

"And if that's the case..." Icegaze began, realizing what Mothwing was saying.

"Hawkfrost can only kill." Mothwing finished.

"Yeah, that's too bad." The large tom curled his lip.

"I have a question, though." Icegaze swallowed her rage that was beginning to bubble up. Memories of the dream where she had met Hawkfrost flooded her head, threatening to blind her with anger. She tried to control herself; she needed to know what had really happened first. "What happened when Lionear and I met you, Hawkfrost?" Icegaze asked, her voice low. "Tell me, what did you do that night?" She unsheathed her claws. "Tell me everything!"

Hawkfrost sighed. "Okay, okay. Calm down, or StarClan's gonna suspect something." He said, a hint of mockery in his voice.

Icegaze did everything in her power to keep herself from tearing out the dark tabby tom's throat.

"Well, Mothwing over there was trying to heal me. I guess she was hoping that I wouldn't want to kill anymore. But that's like hoping that I'll turn into a bird by eating catmint." Hawkfrost began, his eyes gleaming.

"So that was why you were acting so weird. One moment you wanted to kill Lionpaw, the next you were apologizing!" Icegaze spat.

"Don't interrupt me, Gemini." Hawkfrost rumbled. "You asked for answers; I'm giving you them."

Mothwing stood. "That's enough, Hawkfrost! She's going to have to wake soon! Tell her the whole truth." The medicine cat's eyes flashed with annoyance for a moment, then turned dull.

The tom glared. "Whatever." He growled. "Yes, that was why I was so unlike myself. And yes, I had been lying to you about 'being in StarClan' and 'training apprentices'. Though that must be very obvious."

Icegaze felt like she was being toyed with. She curled her lip. "You know what I want, you piece of dung. Give me the answer!"

Hawkfrost lashed out, hitting Icegaze square in the face. She stumbled back, blood sliding down her face. She stared at the tom in shock. "I told you not to interrupt! You ignorant-"

Icegaze lunged forward, tackling Hawkfrost's legs. They buckled, and she moved just in time before he fell on her. She delivered a blow to his flank, giving him a deep scratch. Hawkfrost screeched and rolled over, using his hind legs to hit her temporarily exposed belly.

Icegaze fell, winded. She jumped up, then tried to pin the tom to the ground. He stepped to the side at the last moment, and she crashed into the ground. Hawkfrost brought down his paw on her head, and everything around Icegaze started spinning. She gasped for breath, and she heard Mothwing moving in between them and scolding her brother.

Hawkfrost scrambled up and began licking his paws. "Filth!" He spat.

Icegaze quickly recovered from the blow, and she heard what he had said. She opened her mouth to say something stinging in reply. Hawkfrost's sister interrupted her though.

Mothwing ignored him, and turned to Icegaze. "You must wake soon. I will tell you, Icegaze."

She shook her head wildly. "No, I cannot let you do that, Mothwing." Determination shone in Icegaze's eyes. "I want to hear it straight from the coward himself!" She glared at the tom, and unsheathed her claws again.

Hawkfrost would have attacked Icegaze, but his sister was in the way. He growled. "Call me that one more time..." He threatened.

Icegaze narrowed her eyes. "Coward!"

Hawkfrost knocked Mothwing out of the way and leapt toward her, bowling her over. Icegaze heard Mothwing yowl for them to stop. She didn't want to, though. She was going to get her answer, even if it meant forcing it out of the powerful warrior.

"Freak of nature!" Icegaze screeched. "You killed my mother!"

Hawkfrost's eyes burned with outrage. "Shut that ignorant mouth of yours!" He hissed. He tried to hit her, but Icegaze dodged and shot inside, managing a blow to the tom's soft belly. He knocked her away again, then grabbed her tail with his teeth. She wriggled free, then spun to look at him.

"Then tell me what you did! Why did you lie? Just say it!" Icegaze screeched. She dodged a swipe and lunged forward to nip Hawkfrost. He moved backward, then brought a set of paws down on her, knocking all of the wind out of her.

"I didn't kill your foolish mother," Hawkfrost's voice rumbled. "It was her doing!"

Icegaze didn't believe a word he said. She rolled out from under his paws and sprang up. She feinted, and the tom fell to the right, giving her an opening. Icegaze jumped into the left, scoring her claws against his flank, relishing the blood that was seeping through her fur.

"She starved herself out of grief!" Hawkfrost snapped. "She was so depressed that she died of her own sadness. There!" He spat. The tom spun around, knocking Icegaze away. She stumbled, then righted herself.

"Wh-what?" Icegaze stood there for a moment, eyes wide as she panted for breath.

"You better believe it, Gemini." Hawkfrost growled. "I lied to you because I was not in my right mind." He shot a pointed look at Mothwing, who was staring at the two of them in horror.

Icegaze shook her head slowly. "B-but she was already dead!"

"You can pretty much die twice. She faded away. She's gone forever." Hawkfrost was beginning to catch his breath.

Icegaze growled. "Then why are you still alive?" She spat in disgust. "Why were you in the Dark Forest all of those seasons ago if you were a Gemini?"

"Because I didn't fade." Hawkfrost scoffed. "Everyone remembers me. Even your brother. Of course, no one has given Frostdawn a second thought, so of course she's never coming back." He didn't answer her second question.

Icegaze trembled. "That makes no sense! I remember her! Lionear remembers her!"

Mothwing shut her eyes tightly. "Icegaze...that's not enough. Many more must believe. If they do not, then once the cat who is dead fades away, they will never come back."

Icegaze let out a wail. She collapsed. "Frostdawn!" She screeched. "No!"

Mothwing slowly approached Icegaze. "I'm sorry. I am very sorry." The medicine cat nosed Icegaze. "Listen, you must wake up now."

"Wake up?" Icegaze trembled.

"Yes. You might have died, but that wasn't what Fate wanted. Now you're going to..."

Mothwing began to fade away. She disappeared quickly, never finishing her sentence.

"Oh..." Icegaze sighed. "I am waking up to a new life? Where will I restart?" She wondered out loud. She felt like she was having a dreamless sleep, but that she would wake soon. "This must be the price of death." Icegaze felt herself beginning to wake.

"The afterlife only exists if enough cats decide to think about you. What a cruel fate."


	12. Reborn

**Apologies...this chapter is kinda late. Sorry if the fight scene's crappy. I wrote this at two in the morning...:P I WILL update once a week...at the latest Thursday. **

Lionear opened his eyes. He had found shelter in an abandoned twoleg nest the night before, after he and his sister had been split up. He yawned, the complete silence welcoming. He wanted to think in peace.

Lionear felt like something big had happened, but he couldn't remember it. It felt like something had been restarted. Something was being done over again...

He shook his head as if to clear it, then stood. He needed to find his sister. They couldn't afford to be split up, especially with the Embers on their tails. He exited the nest, slightly relieved. The nest had put him on edge; he didn't like the notion that twolegs were so close.

As he exited, he didn't notice the tuft of tabby fur that lay on the floor a few fox-lengths away from the door. Lionear stepped into the sunlight, and he blinked a few times to adjust his eyes. Ah...eyes. He needed to find his sister.

Lionear scented the air. The fur on the back of his neck began to rise. Something wasn't quite right. There was a strange scent of something misplaced; something very, very wrong.

Then it was gone, and all he could smell were the faint scents of five different cats. Rogues, no doubt. Lionear completely forgot about the strange feeling he had just gotten, for he realized that these scents were very fresh. He wasn't sure if he could fight all five of them on his own...

Lionear whipped his head around, scenting the air. He couldn't hear, so he had to be extra cautious. He knew that he couldn't go back to the Clans; he would probably die, and so would Icegaze. He needed to find her, too...His only other option was to go to the twolegplace. Lionear turned to look at it.

He wasn't too far away. He could easily make it without being found by the rogues. Lionear took in a breath, then leaped forward, racing toward the twolegplace. He sprinted, trying not to slow down.

Lionear relished the wind in his fur as he ran. It felt so good to move his legs. He opened his mouth to taste the air, and almost stumbled. He shot a glance over his shoulder, and shock pulsed through him.

The rogues had somehow found and caught up to him, but that wasn't what had surprised him. They weren't rogues; they were kittypets. He could see the shiny and colorful...things around their necks.

Lionear skidded to a halt. It was a disgrace, running away from kittypets. Kittypets, of all things! He'd thought that they were rogues, but he had been very mistaken.

One of the kittypets curled his lip and meowed something. Lionear sighed and analyzed his opponents. He saw collars, but they all had the same build as a Clan cat, and curiosity sparked inside of him. Had these kittypets gone rogue?

The kittypet stopped speaking, as if waiting for Lionear to answer a question. He snorted, curling his lips in a sneer.

Another one asked something else. He waited for the right moment to attack, not caring about what they were saying. His eyes flicked to a different one, and he noticed that the kittypet's muscles were tensed.

Lionear took advantage of this moment and leapt. They were surprised, being that they hadn't expected him to attack right away. He landed squarely on the lead kittypet's shoulders and dug his claws in. He saw scarlet stain his claws, and he felt the kittypet trying to shake him off.

The other lunged at him, their eyes full of rage. Lionear summoned up all of the strength that he had, and all of the skills that he knew. He dodged a strike and scored his claws across a flank. One of the kittypets landed on top of him, and he dropped to the ground.

Lionear quickly rolled over, crushing the kittypet and loosening its grip in him. He dodged a few more blows and then bowled the leader of the group over. He placed his paw over the kittypet's throat, and then looked at the others. It was a threat that needed no words.

The other kittypets didn't seem to care, and they all tried to attack him again. He raked his claws over the lead kittypet's throat, and its eyes widened in horror. Lionear was bowled over, and the wind was knocked out of him. He hissed and sunk his teeth into his opponent's forepaw.

Lionear managed to get the kittypet off of him before running off. He knew he couldn't win the fight. No matter how many skills he had, he couldn't win with just one against five.

He sprinted again, this time knowing that the kittypets wouldn't follow him.

He'd seen what he'd done to the lead kittypet's throat. There was so much blood on his paws from that one blow...Lionear had killed a cat. He felt guilty, but weren't they the ones who'd attacked first?

No, he had no excuse. He'd broken the warrior code...he didn't have to kill the kittypet.

Regret coursed through him as he ran. His paws were still stained red, and his mouth tasted of death. It was probably from when he had bitten that forepaw...

Lionear skidded to a halt, and he completely forgot about his guilt. In front of him was a thunderpath. He'd heard of them, but never seen them. It smelled horrible, and he wrinkled his nose. Now, what did he have to do when crossing a thunderpath? He strained to remember...

Hm...hadn't the elders told him? It had been a story that he had heard several times. He remembered that Echoflight had told a story about twolegs once. Icegaze had translated for him. Oh, how he missed Icegaze. He needed her...

Lionear jumped. He'd spaced out.

As he struggled to recall that particular memory, he saw something shiny out of the corner of his eye. Then he scrambled backwards as he saw something large race down the stinking thunderpath.

So that was what one of the great monsters looked like...it was frightening. He realized that was the thing he had been told. 'Watch out for the monsters'.

Lionear swallowed, and then looked both ways. It was a slight disadvantage to not be able to use his ears. He took in a deep breath, and jumped forward, racing across the thunderpath.

He stumbled slightly, and this caused him to panic. Because of this, he fell. He gasped when he felt the rumble of a monster beginning to approach him. His eyes widened, and he scrambled to his paws. He sprinted the rest of the way, and just in time too. Three giant silver, yellow, and white monsters raced passed him in a blur of colors.

Lionear sighed, relieved. He'd made it. Now he could search for his sister.

She had been captured by twolegs, right? That meant, he'd have to search the whole twolegplace...Where to start?

A scent answered his question. His nose had picked up the scent of his sister. But this scent was mingled with the overpowering stench of death.


	13. Once More

Icegaze wrinkled her nose as she padded forward. She had received a vision of a tom ambushing her, and her fur bristled. She was sure that she was lost, for this vision of her probably took place in the twolegplace.

She sighed. How had she and her brother managed to split up so easily? Maybe it was Fate?

Fate was playing her and Lionear for fools. He had made a game of chance, and they had to hope that they got the correct answer in life. Icegaze knew it.

"Life is just a game." She growled. "The chance of winning is one out of a hundred."

Icegaze tilted her head upwards, though she couldn't see anything. "I will stop this game, Fate." She whispered. Then, she set forward again, only following her ears and nose. She braced herself, ready for any ambush.

It would be coming soon, no matter. That was what she had seen, and it was what Fate had created in his 'script'.

Icegaze scented the air, and she slowly unsheathed her claws, her muscles tensing. There was an all too familiar stench hanging in the air. "Death?"

She let out a low growl. It was the stench of a dead cat, and a living cat. Someone was murdered, and she was probably going to be next. "Not today I'm not." She murmured.

"You're in the wrong part of the neighborhood." Icegaze's fur bristled.

"Oh, I am? How so?" Icegaze asked, a hint of cockiness in her voice. She could use a fight.

The cat growled, and she heard a rustle of fur.

"Watch out!" Icegaze screeched. She twitched her whiskers in amusement, knowing that the cat would probably look over its shoulder. She assumed this and leapt forward. She'd heard the voice in front of her, so she was sure the cat was in jumping range.

Icegaze felt satisfaction course through her as her claws sunk into warm flesh. "I always wanted to try that!" She meowed, her voice full of amusement.

She could almost feel the loathing that was radiating off of the cat. "Oh, you're going to fight dirty, huh?" The cat growled.

Icegaze swung her forepaw around, knowing that the cat would duck. She then brought her other forepaw down, and she heard paws scuffling. The cat was probably dazed from her blow to its head.

She would have to use every trick that she knew. She didn't need to have eyes to fight by herself.

If only Stonestar were there. Oh, how she'd love to shove her fighting skills into his face.

Icegaze felt claws hook into her flank, and she hissed in pain. She twisted, trying to catch the cat with another blow.

"Oh, I see!" Icegaze stopped for a moment. The cat had figured out that she was blind. She knew the cat was making fun of her. She couldn't let that get to her. Besides, her lack of sight was more of a strength.

"At least I don't have eyesight to distract me." She growled.

"What-" The cat seemed taken aback, as though it was shocked that its insult hadn't hurt her.

"I don't need sight to know what your next move will be. I need not claws to fight back, for I have teeth." She hissed. Icegaze's nose twitched. Fear was radiating off of the cat, though she wasn't quite sure why. "I do not need anything, for my warrior spirit is enough on its own!" She rumbled.

Icegaze let out a yowl and brought her paws down on the cat. She felt sticky fluid fly onto her fur; blood. She growled and tore her claws through the cat's skin. She heard a screech of pain, and she relished it.

Icegaze bent down and sunk her teeth into a paw. She heard a shriek of pain, and let go.

The cat screeched, and scrambled away from her. "Now leave!" Icegaze yowled. But it didn't seem like a yowl. It was more like a roar. She heard the cat's claws as it shot away from her. The scent of blood filled her nose, and she sneezed.

"I just won..." She whispered. "I won this fight by myself." A feeling of pride and satisfaction flowed through her as she turned away.

Icegaze growled. "Now I need to find Lionear." She padded away, being careful to avoid the thunderpath. It wasn't too hard, considering the fact that it stunk of monsters so bad that she had to wrinkle her nose.

Icegaze tried to scent the air, but there were too many other scents in the air. Flowers, cats, dogs, twolegs, monsters, and many other things she couldn't name.

How could she find a single cat in a place like this?

"Kittypet." She realized this. If she needed to find her way around an unknown place such as the twolegplace, why didn't she ask one of the soft, pampered cats that twolegs kept?

Oh sure, like they'd want to speak to a wild, bloodstained cat such as her. Would they even want to leave their stupid nests?

That was a mouse-brained idea...

Icegaze shook her head, and she continued walking. That cat that she had just fought...could she ask it? It had killed a kittypet in cold blood and then had been beaten by a blind she-cat, so she wasn't sure it would be too cooperative.

She spun around. This was her chance. She raced back, not caring that she barely knew where she was going. Icegaze concentrated, hoping to get a vision.

No luck. "Come on...just to see where I am!" Icegaze skidded to a halt. "Fate...what use is this power if I can hardly use it?" She whispered.

To her delight, she could see through her eyes. Here was her vision.

Icegaze saw herself running, and then hiding in a bush as several twolegs jogged past her. She then jumped out, and slunk forward, trying not to be seen. As she did so, her head jerked up, as if she'd caught a scent.

The vision ended, and Icegaze lashed her tail. "Perfect." She set forward, grateful that she had a power such as this. She ran, hoping to reach the bushes in time. She scented twolegs, and her fur bristled. Luckily, she had made it, and she crept under the thick shrubbery that most twolegs had around their nests.

The twolegs stomped past, and Icegaze winced. They were so noisy! Their chattering was high-pitched and annoying, but it soon faded out. As they passed her, she crept out again.

Icegaze scented the air, but there was nothing but the familiar stink of monsters. She continued forward, her nose twitching. She sighed. She still had nothing. Icegaze took in a deep breath, trying to catch a scent.

She moved forward, taking in deep breaths. Her ears swiveled forward when she caught a whiff of something: blood. It was the cat she'd fought.

Icegaze turned what she thought was a corner, and the scent became stronger. "I found you." She growled. "But I'd rather that you don't run away."

The cat hissed, but she didn't hear it try to run away.

"Good. First, I need to ask you some questions."

"Just leave me alone!" The cat hissed. "All I know is that Simon stole a mouse. We resolved that conflict yesterday. Can't you accept just that?"

Icegaze opened her mouth. "Uh..."

"No, we didn't trespass. And this is neutral territory! Give me a break, please." The cat panted. It sounded like a tom.

"Um...I actually was just wondering...let's start with your name." Icegaze sighed.

"Antonio."


	14. Lost

Lionear cursed in his head. Why was Icegaze's scent mingled with the smell of death? He scented the air several more times, but it stayed the same.

He swallowed and moved forward, following the scent trail. It went over a thunderpath, so he made sure to check both directions before running across it. Lionear continued running, hoping not to find the corpse of his sister.

He needed her. She couldn't be dead. Lionear continued, so intent on the scent trail that he didn't notice the extra smell...

Lionear turned his head slightly, and his eyes widened. He saw several twolegs walking toward him. He ran, trying to get away. What if they saw him? Suddenly, he began to panic. He'd lost the scent trail, and he could see more and more twolegs and monsters.

He tripped, tumbling into a thorny plant. He hissed in pain as his fur got tangled up, and the thorns scraped his skin. Lionear wriggled out, trying not to be seen. Something whizzed past him, and he fluffed up his fur in surprise. It had been smaller than a monster, but it could still have hurt him.

Twolegs had a lot of dangerous things!

Lionear turned a dark corner, hoping it would hide him. He whipped his head back and forth, scenting the air. He panted for breath, his pads aching from running on the rough ground.

Despair, fear and confusion coursed through him. He'd lost his only lead, and some of his dignity. Lionear's shoulders slumped. He had no idea where he was, either.

Lionear slunk forward, pressing his fur against the wall. He desperately didn't want to be seen. He would need to find a safer place than this. He would probably have to stay the night in the twolegplace; there was no way he could find his way out by the end of the day. It was a treacherous labyrinth.

As he crawled forward, he caught a familiar scent. He was sure he had never smelled it before, but it triggered something in his mind. Confusing.

Lionear's nose twitched again, and this time he smelled something that was both familiar and unwelcome. How it had gotten there-he had no idea. He wasn't ready to find out though.

He hissed and turned his head, ready to claw off the cat's face. Hawkfrost would pay-

He stopped, mid-strike. In front of Lionear stood a she-cat, not the deranged, ruthless Gemini who was supposedly trapped in Flame. He blinked, and then stumbled backwards.

"Ah!" Lionear gasped.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up-" The she-cat began.

Lionear flattened his ears to his head. "How can I...what..." His eyes widened. "Why can I hear?!" He spun around and sprinted away, toward the thunderpath. "I'm deaf!" He hissed to himself. What if this was a dream? He could hear in dreams. Maybe all of this was a dream?

Suddenly, he couldn't believe anything. He felt like something was being held from him. Maybe if he 'died' he would wake up?

"Stop! Stop!" He heard the she-cat's voice, but he ignored it.

This couldn't be real. This reality had to be a veil of a lie. What was happening was impossible.

Lionear reached the thunderpath. His paws shook, but he kept on going. He could hear a car coming up the path. "Wake me up, Fate!" He screeched. "Stop taunting me, you piece of dung-!"

Something slammed into him. It wasn't a monster, though. He was shoved out of the way of a monster, and he fell into a patch of dry grass.

Lionear lifted his head, confusion playing in his eyes. "What-"

"You stupid cat!" The she-cat cried. "You could have been killed!"

Lionear trembled slightly. "Oh no...you're right." He looked down. "What was I..." He swallowed. "I'm supposed to be deaf." He said quietly.

The she-cat's eyes widened. "Well, that's a problem." She then looked embarrassed. "Oh, sorry. Is it a problem for you? Or something good?"

"It's a problem. You shouldn't worry about it; I wouldn't want to drag you into this." Lionear said solemnly. Something in his gut told him that this she-cat had something to do with this, though.

"It's too late. Lemme help you." The she-cat rolled her eyes. "I'm Dapple, just so you know. Now, tell me what I can do!"

Lionear froze. He could swear that he'd met Dapple before. He shook his head quickly. He couldn't think about that now. His current problem was figuring out how he could hear.

"Well, you could..." Lionear paused. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes," Dapple replied. "Why?"

"Well, it is possible..." Lionear murmured. It was hard to believe, though. A Gemini who wasn't a Clan cat? Unless..."Oh no."

"What? What is it? Have you figured it out?"

It was the only other answer. This she-cat was a Burning. She was one of the first kinds of cats made by StarClan to get rid of Gemini. He wasn't quite sure how, but that was the only realistic conclusion he could come to. "Yes, I think I have." Lionear nodded. "I have one other question for you."

"Sure." Dapple replied, her eyes full of excitement. She seemed enticed by what had happened to Lionear.

"What are Gemini?" He asked. This wouldn't affect his guess, but he needed to know before he decided to trust Dapple.

"Gemini?" Dapple blinked. "Huh? What's that?"

"Oh, never mind." Lionear said quickly. "Thanks."

Dapple narrowed her eyes. "So, why can you hear?" She eyed him. "And don't say it's a long story; I have plenty of time."

Lionear sighed and beckoned with his tail for her to come closer. He took in a deep breath and began to explain. He told her about what had happened with him and his sister, and how they had been caught up in this strange chaos StarClan had created. He had to explain StarClan too, though.

He told her about Gemini, and how they were being killed by Embers. He wasn't sure why, but he knew they weren't completely dead if they were killed. StarClan had made a 'prison' called Flame for them, and it was between StarClan and the Place of No Stars.

He didn't leave out the part about the Burning. He told her that they were too powerful, even for StarClan. They were failed Embers, and she was one of them.

That was probably why he could hear.

When he finished, the sun was beginning to set. "Wow..." Dapple breathed. "I can't believe..."

"Yeah."

"Well, I think I know who we could talk to! She might be able to help us find your sister, Icegaze." Dapple purred. "But...we will need to go through the twolegplace once more."

Lionear swallowed. "Whatever it takes to find Icegaze." He glanced at Dapple, and for a moment he saw...jealousy in her eyes? Then it disappeared and she turned away.

"Right. Whatever it takes. Let's go." She stood quickly. "We need to find somewhere safe for tonight; I know the perfect place."

Dapple led Lionear away from the thunderpath, and toward a quiet place that reminded him of the alley he'd met her in. It was a little more secluded, though. He saw dozens of empty brown cubes; an ideal place for shelter.

They settled under a large brown cube, and Lionear did the best he could to ignore the putrid stink. Luckily, he was already exhausted and drowsy.

Lionear curled up, letting his eyes slide shut. Hopefully he would have more luck the next day. He hated not knowing if Icegaze was hurt, ill or completely fine.

He had to find her, no matter what happened.


	15. Capture and Betrayal

Icegaze curled her lip. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like she'd met this tom before. "You..." She growled. "You again!" She blurted.

"Huh?" The tom asked, his voice laced with confusion.

Icegaze shook her head. She swallowed and started over. "Tell me your name again?"

"Antonio..." The tom sounded wary.

Icegaze swallowed back the mysterious rage growing inside of her. She couldn't understand why her claws longed to gouge out Antonio's flesh. She had never met him!

"Have you seen a ginger tabby lately? I mean, just before you met me?" She asked, ignoring the fact that she wanted to claw the tom's face.

"Come to think of it..." The tom paused. "I did scent you around this area earlier."

Icegaze unsheathed her claws. "Answer my question!"

"Why should I listen to what you say, trespasser?" Newfound rage filled Antonio's voice. "You trickster. You'll pay for humiliating and crossing into my territory!" She twitched an ear as she heard his claws scrape the ground.

As hard as he would try, he wouldn't land a single scratch on her. She'd make sure of it. Besides, she was ready to do anything to find her brother. So as soon as she heard the sound of the tom's claws, she ducked to the side.

"You're blind!" The tom roared. "Stop kidding yourself. You can't win!"

Icegaze stiffened. She turned to face where she'd last heard Antonio. "What...did you call me?" She was used to it, but hearing this tom say it made her furious. She would figure out why later. Now she had to focus on defending her pride.

"Blind. Try to fight me, Blind She-cat!" Antonio spat. His paws shuffled, and she knew immediately what he was trying to do. A classic move Goldenfeather had taught her. She easily sidestepped, lashing a paw out. Icegaze felt satisfied when her claws met flesh.

Antonio hissed and leapt, his claws scraping the ground again. As he attempted to tackle her, Icegaze dodged, shoving him to the ground.

"You're too noisy!" She spat. "You're all talk and no skill. You call what you set up 'borders'? I could barely smell them. And beating you is so easy. Every time you move I can hear you." She didn't even need to look into the future. Everything he did was predictable.

Then it came.

The light that told her she was having a vision. Why was she getting one now? She didn't need it. Icegaze couldn't wait for the time when she could easily control the visions at will.

She narrowed her eyes when she saw it. In front of her was a patrol of several cats whom she recognized. They were in the twolegplace...what was Fireclaw doing in the twolegplace? How did he even know that they were there?

What was Pebblepaw doing next to Icegaze's father? He looked like he was the one who was leading the Ember through the place...her clanmates were following, all of them looking wary. Of course. They probably thought she and her brother were 'dangerous'.

Suddenly, it ended, and Icegaze's shook her head. "No! Let me see more!"

Everything went dark, and she heard Antonio speaking. "See? You can't see!"

Icegaze froze. "Fox-dung...fox-dung! No, Lionear!" She spun around, scenting the air. She needed to see where he was! Just one vision for that!

"Hey!" Antonio hissed.

Icegaze stopped. "If you want, we can finish this fight now." She said said coldly. "But if we do, you're going to die." Her tone was low and quiet. "Walk away now, or fight me. Don't hold back."

Antonio scoffed. "Like I'd walk out of a fight."

She didn't have the time, but she had to finish the fight. Besides, this tom had insulted her. She'd take care of him before getting her brother. "Good to know. Now let me show you what blind trespassers can do."

Icegaze concentrated and, to her surprise, a vision came. It flashed by, but she managed to see just enough to know where her opponent was going to hit. She sidestepped, scoffing when she heard Antonio fall.

The tom growled, letting her know where he was. She heard his claws scrape the ground as he lunged forward, and she took advantage of it. Icegaze slammed her paws down, feeling satisfied when she hit a solid body. Antonio squirmed and tried to get up. He was already weak from their previous fight, so she easily pinned him down.

"I give you credit for your effort!" Icegaze mocked. She landed a blow on Antonio's head, grimacing when she felt the tom go limp. "This is over."

Icegaze turned, gritting her teeth. "Where are you, Lionear?" She hissed. "Come on, I need a vision!" She groaned as she tried to see something.

"I see your fighting skill has improved! And over the course of what, a day? Well done, Icegaze. Oh, I am so impressed." A voice sounded behind her. Icegaze froze, her muscles tensing. That voice was all too familiar.

"Pebblepaw?" She hissed. Icegaze turned, pinpointing her clanmate's voice by his voice and scent.

"Wrong." The voice was laced with malice. "It's Pebblefur."

Icegaze's lip curled. "Wow, you became an apprentice over the course of what? A day? Well done! I am so impressed."

She scented the air, and anger began to build up inside of her. "Fireclaw..." She growled.

"We had to promote Pebblefur. He's a strong and powerful cat who deserves warriorship. Being an Ember and all." Fireclaw's voice was beginning to aggravate her.

"Murderer!" Icegaze screeched. She got ready to jump.

"Hold up," Fireclaw hissed. "Don't you think you should be worrying about your brother?"

"Don't you dare-where is he?!" Icegaze's claws ached to rip through her father's flesh.

"He's probably been captured by the other patrol. Why?" Pebblefur asked innocently.

Icegaze growled.

"Now, Icegaze, you're either going to come with us willingly-which you probably won't-or we're going to have to use brute force and drag you back to the Clans." Fireclaw got straight to the point. She was annoyed that he was being so bold about it. "No questions asked. I need you both, but I guess one could work too."

Icegaze stopped. "W-what?"

"You heard me. You're not deaf like you're brother. So what is it going to be? Either way you take it, you're still coming with us." Her father snarled.

She couldn't resist. They were going to kill her brother, and she could not let that happen. She needed Lionear. "Fine." Icegaze huffed. She would devise a plan with her brother as they went back to the Clans. She didn't care if they weren't going to explain anything. She was going to escape with Lionear anyway.

"And I will kill all of you Ember bastards..." She murmured to herself. Pebblefur bumped her, but she didn't react. She would do whatever they told her to. But as soon as she got an opening, she was going to strike.

**THE GEMINI SERIES BOOK THREE**

COMING OUT OCTOBER 26

_What happens to the Gemini next...is all in the paws of Fate_


End file.
